According to new analysis, Norway is the best country in Europe for working women thanks to its high female representation in business management, low pay gap between men and women and fair maternity policies.
PR firm Reboot Online has crunched the numbers from data from 32 European countriessy has discovered that Norway is the best European country for women to work.
The Scandinavian country occupies first place according to data from the European Gender Quality Institute (EIGC) and the World Economic Forum.
The criteria are based on the number of women aged 16 to 65 employed in each countrythe quality of maternity leavehe number of women in positions of powerry other factors.
Classification: Norway in the lead
Norway obtained a score of 7.1 out of 10 in the analysis, followed by Iceland (6.53), Finland (5.03) and the Netherlands (5.49). This agrees with studies from the World Economic Forum which show that northern European countries take care of women's professional careers.
However, according to the analysis, Norway stands out for its “impressive representation” of women in management positions, with a demonstrable growth over five years. This includes CEOs, executive directors, non-executive directors, presidents and members of the boards of directors of the largest listed companies in 2023.
According to the most recent EIGC study, Norwegian men held 56% of management positions last year, while women occupied 43%. In total, women held 81 of the highest positions, says the EIGE.
Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development also shows that Norwegian women under the age of 65 represented well over half (58.7%) of the workforce in 2023.
The country's maternity policies are also favorable: the “high” duration of the minimum maternity leave and the percentage of income paid during that leave contributes to its success, says Reboot Online. Parents are offered 19 weeks of reserved leave with 80% of their salary paid.
Close the wage gap
Another positive point is the reduction in salary differences between men and women in Norway. Although No country has achieved full wage parity between men and womenAccording to the World Economic Forum's 2023 Global Gender Gap Index report, Norway came close last year, with 88%. He came in second place behind Icelandthat closed 90% of its gender gap.
The European Union institutions have also been busy with their own policy instruments, advocating for better conditions for working women.
In 2020, the European Commission published its EU Strategy for Gender Equality 2020-2025, which aims to end gender violence, eliminate pay differences between men and womenachieve equal participation in the different sectors of the economy and much more.
As a result of this drive, in 2022 the European Parliament approved a law that requires large listed companies in the EU to have, as of mid-2026, a minimum of 40% of the non-executive members of their boards of directors. women, and the EU Member States will approve their respective legislation.
In 2023, the Directive on Salary Transparency was also approved, which makes it easier for workers to defend a better pay in the workplace and before the courts. Despite the progress, the European Commission points out that “there is still a long way to go.”
